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IKEA versus Mio

Not a single day goes by without brands using bicycles as marketing weapons: bicycles are cool, environmentally friendly, trendy and *insert-the-adjective-of-your-choice-here* and, I have to give them that, they sure do look nice.

I’m not sure who shot first but IKEA was the quickest to reach my mailbox, only a couple of days before Mio. The Swedish giant furniture retailer rides the bicycle cycling green wave and suggests you put your single-speed or fixed gear bicycle right on top of a white shelf. Red rims and a blue frame would be better whether you want to match colours with the cubes. Youthfulness at a low cost. Fresh and shiny. Like your hipster beard.

But if you’re a bit older and have put the single-speed and tight jeans days behind you Mio, a smaller but slightly more high-end retailer, offers an alternative for your Bianchi road bike: with a more advanced setup Mio suggests you hang your Bianchi bicycle on the wall creating an airy and more mature feeling. A bit more expensive. Sober and gloomy. Like your performance on Strava.

But unless you only ride the bike from the front door to the living room and back neither IKEA nor Mio offers a decent alternative for people who use their bicycles outdoors. It’s quite disturbing that these two Swedish companies haven’t heard of rain, snow and other joys of the Swedish climate that make cyclists think twice before they bring bikes into their homes: only people who don’t care about snow melting and rusted chains dripping on the carpet do so I believe.

Fixed gear or road bike? Tell me what you ride and I’ll tell you what your living room should look like! Just don’t ask me, I don’t keep my bikes by the sofa. Please.

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Laurent Pignon

Born in 1980 in France. Got lost in Finland in 2002. Living in Sweden since 2005. Daily, year-round, rain snow or shine bicycle commuter since 2012. And yes, that's lots of dates.
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